Night's Return
by snoopy7716
Summary: Sequel to "Summer's End", 8 months after Buffy leaves she calls, but not to talk to Spike or Angel.


    ***Sequel to "Summer's End"

S/B fic

Rated PG-13 

                               *************************

                                             Night's Return

Although the group was in charge of Wolfram & Hart, they still lived in the hotel. They gathered in the lobby on Saturdays to review the new "big bads" and the current happenings. Angel leaned against the door to the office as Willow explained to the group what the following week might hold. When the phone rang, it echoed throughout the huge lobby. As Fred rose and walked to the desk to answer it, Willow carried on with her speech.

Fred turned to the group, "It's Buffy".

Spike and Angel started toward the phone simultaneously. They caught each other's eye and froze in showdown stance. Fred shot a look back and forth between them, then held the phone toward Willow. "She asked for you, Will."

Willow looked curiously at both the guys, then walked past them to reach the phone.

"Buffy?"

Angel and Spike stared at her while she spoke quietly with Buffy. In the eight months she had been gone, she had called before, speaking with Spike and Angel, but this time she had asked for Willow. Peculiar.

No one said anything as Willow finished her conversation and hung up the phone.

"Everything ok with our little blond super slayer?" Lorne said in an attempt to break the silence.

Willow was pale. "Uh yeah, she just wanted to say hey".

Spike and Angel both wondered why she hadn't asked to speak to them. All the times she had called, she had never revealed her location, and they didn't ask. They knew she needed this time alone.

Willow knew they must have wondered so she added, "She said she would call you guys back in a bit, she had to go."

"Let's finish our talk," Willow said, changingthe subject.

                                       *************************************

Wesley stood outside Willow's door and knocked softly. She opened the door**, **inviting her friend in. As he passed through the doorway his eyes immediately went to the bed where a half-packed suitcase lay.

She closed the door behind him as he asked, "What's all this?"

"Um…" She slid past him and over to the suitcase. "A vacation?" she said unconvincingly.

"Willow," he glared over his eyeglasses, "we have become very good friends since you arrived here, I think I know when you are lying…and badly. I assumed that call wasn't just to say 'hey'" he said in a sarcastic voice.

She winced, knowing she had been caught. She jumped over to him and grabbed his arm. "Ok, she made me swear not to tell Spike and Angel, but she said nothing about you, so here goes."

"Buffy..." she started. "She's um, well…"

Wes looked at her,intrigued at the mystery.

"Ok," Willow took a deep breath, "she's sorta in the hospital."

Wesley's eyes widened, "WHAT? AND YOU'RE NOT GOING TO TELL ANGEL AND SPIKE?"

Willows hands flew up to his mouth, "SHHHHHHH!!!! She'd kill me if they knew!"

"Bu wiii" he said, muffled from her hand. She removed it. "Huh?"

He readjusted his glasses and asked again. "But why? Why doesn't she want them to know?"

"Because you know Buffy, no fuss no muss. Plus the worry thing, she doesn't want it. She wouldn't have called me but she just needs some help."

Wesley paced to the window and back, thoughts clouding his face. "I don't know, Will. You are talking about the two men who love her more than anything; keeping this information from them could…."

"Don't you think I know that? I don't want a vampire and an ex-vampire going all 'GRRR' at me."  She paused, "But she's my best friend, so I feel like I owe her secrecy if she wants it."

Wes agreed, asked if he could do anything to help.

"Just come up with something convincing as to where I went for a couple of days, k? Get me all in the clear and I'll be back before you can say 'grand scheme'."

Wes smiled and left her to her packing.

                                           ***********************************

"Willow's going to do some undercover work for us; she'll be back in a couple of days," He told Fred. Although she accepted this, a vampire walked into the room who didn't.

"Undercover work for what?." Angel inquired as he sorted through the mail.

Wes stopped. "It's just a thing we're working on…," he trailed off.

"A thing you don't tell the boss about?" Angel dropped the mail on the desk and looked up at Wes.

"Uh, yes, well, we didn't want to alarm anyone before…"

"ALARM?" Fred interjected "THERE'S REASON FOR ALARM?"

"No no no", Wes tried to correct

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED HERE THE LAST TIME WE HAD AN ALARM." Fred went on.

Cordy strolled in. "What are we alarmed about?"

Wes became very nervous as Angel started toward him.

"You see…."

"What's going on Wes?" Angel asked him matter of factly. 

"Oh dear, I've messed this up..."

"Messed what up, mate?" Spike walked in behind him.

Wes glanced around, noticing all eyes were on him. He took his glasses off and dropped his head. "It's Willow, I was just saying how she went …" Everyone was glaring at him, waiting for answers: Fred thinking another apocalypse was coming, Angel knowing he was on to something and Cordy being, well, obliviously Cordy. And Spike, who didn't know what was going on, but was interested because he saw everyone else was.

"Oh dear…" was all that escaped Wes's lips before, "ok, it's Buffy."

Angel and Spike both came towards him, wanting immediate answers. Wes's hands flew up. "Wait, I don't even know where she is; all I know is she's hurt, or sick, or something."

Spike grabbed his arm and pulled him toward him, "AND YOU DIDN'T TELL US???"

Angel turned quickly towards the office.

"What are you doing?" Spike asked him.

"Finding her." Angel replied.

Spike let go of Wes and headed toward Angel.

"We'll put a trace on the call from yesterday and see where she is. I should have done that months ago, just to know."

"We were giving her sodding 'space'." Spike said.

"Trace? Can we do that?" Fred asked. 

"Duh—detectives", Cordy rolled her eyes.

Wes leaned against the wall of the main lobby, "Will is gonna kill me".

"That's the least of your worries," Lorne said as he watched Spike and Angel both frantically searching for answers as to where she might be.

Wes moaned.

Suddenly they both came out of the office, both angry, both glaring at Wes.

"This number is from a hospital Wes, just how bad is Buffy?" Angel was adamant.

"I---I don't know." Wes was equally worried now.

"Just what _do_ you sodding know?" Spike spat at him.

"I know she wanted Willow to come there to help her, but she didn't want to worry the two of you."

"Typical Buffy." Angel mumbled.

"Where is 'there' anyway?" Wes inquired.

"St. Louis." Spike answered him. "And just what the hell is in St. Louis anyway?" he questioned Angel.

"A big arch," Lorne tried to lighten the mood. They all turned and glared at him. "Well, and Buffy, obviously."

Spike turned to Angel, "She's in the hospital…"

Angel and Spike locked eyes and they both knew they had to get to her and nothing would stop them.

                                               ***********************************

Willow arrived at the St. Louis airport and caught a taxi to the hospital. When she reached the hospital she found Buffy's room but was not prepared for what she would find within.

When she walked in she saw her best friend of seven years lying in a bed with numerous tubes and wires attached to her. Willow gasped. She expected to come in and catch her watching "Passions" and eating green jell-o, instead she saw her more helpless than she had ever witnessed.

Tears swelled up in Willow's eyes and she inched toward the bed, not sure if Buffy was asleep or not.

Buffy slowly opened her eyes and recognized Willow. A small smile crept across her lips. "Will…you came."

"Of course I came." Willow barely got the words out, and attempted in vain to hold back tears. "What happened?"

Buffy turned her head towards her chart on the table beside her bed. "It's all in there**.**"

Willow reached and took Buffy's hand from the sheet and squeezed it tight. Buffy closed her eyes.

"You rest now, we'll talk in a bit. I'll be right here." she assured her.

Buffy dozed back off to sleep and Willow pulled a chair up beside her bed.  She picked up the medical chart and began to read.

                            *****************************************

The phone rang and Fred answered. She heard Willow's quivering voice on the other end asking to speak to Angel or Spike.

"They're not here, they're on their way to you." She replied anxiously.

"Is Buffy ok?" Fred asked.

"Ok?,… not so much. They need to get here…now."

The phone went silent.

                         **********************************************

Willow was curled up in the chair beside Buffy's bed. Angel and Spike stood side by side watching both girls sleeping. Angel quietly stepped to Willow and touched her arm, awakening her. She smiled to see the friendly face, then stood and led him into the hall. Spike stood still. He felt he couldn't move. There she was, asleep in the cold hospital bed. All the wires, the monitors, what on earth were they all for he thought to himself. Tears welled up in his eyes. All the battles he had seen her through, as badly as she had been hurt before, never had he seen her so fragile, so helpless.

On the chair beside her bed her clothes were folded, and his duster was laying on top. He smiled at the sight of the familiar coat he had made her take with her.

He gathered enough strength to walk toward the bed. He wanted to touch her, but not wake her. He tilted his head to one side, feeling as if he were looking at a child. He never noticed how tiny she was. Was she this small eight months ago? He was sure she wasn't. As her eyes fluttered, he jumped and quickly wiped the tears from his face. She looked up and smiled slightly. 

"What are you doing here?" she asked quietly.

"Came to see you, pet" he nodded and looked at her lovingly. "What happened to you, Slayer?"

She closed her eyes and turned her head the other way, a tear escaping her tight lids.

Just then hospital room door opened. Angel walked in and over to the bed.

"You're here too?" she looked into his face. He walked in from the shadow and Willow motioned Spike out into the hall. He grabbed the duster and smiled at her in recognition of the article.

 She smiled. That was the way she had kept him with her these last eight months. Now she had him here. Spike turned to leave and Angel took his place beside Buffy. 

He picked up her hand and stood beside her. "How did you guys, did Willow?…"

"No," he stopped her, "we figured it out…well, actually we beat Wesley senseless and got it out of him." He grinned and tried to get a laugh out of her.

"Wes?" she was confused.

"Don't worry about it, we're here now." He glanced toward the door and back to Buffy. "I'll be right back, k?"

She nodded.

Angel went out into the hall to find Spike listening intently to Willow. Her words were bouncing off him as if they were ping pong balls. Spike looked like someone had punched him. Tears streamed down Willow's face as she finished explaining for the second time. Angel looked at him. Once again, they were feeling the same thing. 

"Why?" was the only thing to escape Spike's lips.

"There is no 'why', it just happened", Willow said.

Spike's eyes went to Angel's. Angel dropped his head and stared at his shoes. Willow looked at one and then the other. 

"Are you ok?" she asked Spike. 

He stood silently.

"I-I'm going back in, make sure she doesn't need anything." Willow bowed her head and walked back into the hospital room leaving the two men in Buffy's life to stand in the sterile hall. 

"What are we supposed to do?" Spike asked him.

"Be here for her." Angel replied.

Spike turned in frustration and walked down the hall and out of the hospital, slipping his duster on as he stepped into the alley. Outside, it was pouring down rain.  "Perfect" he thought to himself. Grabbing the collar of his duster, he started out into the rain. A small ledge was actually enough for him to stand under and keep from getting drenched. He reached into his pocket trying to find his cigarettes and lighter. Once he found the lighter he stopped just a minute, rubbing the lighter between his thumb and finger, remembering when she had hidden it from him. He dug it out of her pocket. She had it to remind her of him, no matter how much she denied it. A slight grin spread across his face.  He put the cigarette in his mouth and lit it. It all came pounding down on him, everything that had happened over the past year, everything that was happening right now in the hospital room upstairs, everything that Willow had just told him. It all fell on him like the rain that was pouring down in front of him. He stretched his arm out and felt the cold water on his now human hand. He flicked the cigarette into the street, and stretched the other arm into the rain. Slowly he took a step and then another, he dropped his head back and let the rain wash over him. His face covered in rain, and tears, the cigarette was long extinguished. He was in pain, human pain, just pain. 

Upstairs, Angel sat beside Buffy while she slept. Willow stood on the other side of the bed. 

"How long has she been here….alone?" he asked her.

Willow shrugged. "A couple of weeks I believe."

He shook his head and looked back at her. The hospital door opened slowly and Spike, completely drenched, entered the room.

"What happened to you?" Willow asked.

Spike slid the duster off and ran his fingers through his hair. "Rain," was all he said.

He joined Willow at the side of the bed, looking down at Buffy. It hurt so bad to see her there.

"What about her 'slayer super-healing power'?" he asked of anyone who could offer an answer. 

Willow shook her head; Angel already knew the answer.

"Her healing power applied to getting hurt in fights and such, this is natural…..like Tara" she said quietly.

Spike ran the tips of his fingers over the sheet that covered Buffy's stomach.

The room was silent.

                                        ************************************

 Willow returned to Buffy's room after she ate dinner in the cafeteria. She walked in quietly to find Angel standing in the dim room. She closed the door behind her and went to see what he was watching so intently. Buffy was asleep, and curled up beside her in the bed was Spike. They both looked so peaceful. Willow stood beside Angel and looked up at him. She could see the hurt in his eyes. 

"They're sleeping", she said gesturing to them, then realized that was obvious.

 Angel never replied, he just watched. They could see Spike must have climbed in bed with her while she was sleeping. He was on the edge as not to disturb her, and his duster drug the floor. His arm was draped lightly across her stomach and he held her hand loosely.

"He loves her." Angel spoke.

Willow looked up at him and shifted. "Yeah, but both of you guys, with the lovin' Buffy, it's all good." She looked from one to the other, sounding unsure.

Angel knew. Willow knew Angel knew.

"I never stopped loving her, Will," he said, "but he has something else." His eyes never left the two.  "I might have been her first love, but he has her love now."

"Ang—" Willow started, but he turned and walked out the door.

                                            *******************************

Spike stood outside the window to Buffy's room and watched the nurses working around her. He couldn't understand why this was all happening. Why was it happening now? He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Giles standing behind him. A smile crept across his face as he saw the group's patriarch. They both turned their gaze back into Buffy's room.

"I got here as quickly as I could." Giles told him.

"Did Red call you?" Spike asked.

"No, uh, Angel actually," Giles responded."He didn't elaborate, he just said I was needed, and of course, that she was here."

There was a pause while they watched the nurses extract blood from Buffy's arm for tests.

"What exactly happened Spike?"

Spike took a deep breath and turned to face Giles, "It's the same as her mum" he taps his head in description, "she's got some bad stuff going on up there and it doesn't seem to be getting anything but worse."

Giles paused, "She's strong Spike, she's made it though a lot in the past."

Spike's expression never shifted, he was taken with watching through the window.

                                                 ***************************

Buffy opened her eyes to see Spike asleep in a chair on one side of her bed, and Angel asleep in a chair on the other side. Outside her room stood Giles, Willow and her doctor talking intently. She tried to shift quietly in the bed but both the guys woke up startled on each side of her.

"She's awake", Angel told Spike.

Spike was already standing and looking down at her. "Slayer, are you alright?"

Her gaze went back to the window, "When did Giles get here?"

"I called him Buffy," Angel told her, "I thought he needed to know you were in the hospital."

Just then Giles, Willow and the doctor entered the room. 

Willow stood at the end of the bed and touched Buffy's foot through the sheet. Giles had concern written all over his face, but still managed to smile his fatherly smile at Buffy.

"Miss Summers," the doctor started, "I think we should discuss a few things."

Giles looked at her, "We'll all wait outside". He flashed a look around the room.

Willow and Giles turned and left the room, Angel gave Buffy a slight smile and followed. Spike held her hand, unable to move for the moment. She looked up at him, "It's ok, I'll be ok."

He took a deep breath, "I'll be right outside" he said with a reassuring tone.

"I know." She said with a smile.

He squeezed her hand and joined the others outside her window.

                                                  ***********************************

Everyone was gathered in the waiting room. Angel leaned against a column with his arms crossed. Giles sat on one of the many couches, elbows on knees, cleaning his glasses once again. Willow was curled up on the couch beside Giles. Spike couldn't take the waiting anymore. He had paced, he had sat, now he wandered down the hall. They all watched him and felt his anguish.

The opening of a door stirred everyone out of their trance. The surgeon emerged from the double doors; Angel's eyes met and locked on the surgeon's. Angel froze. 

"Get Spike." Angel said, his eyes never leaving the doctor's.

Just then Spike walked up behind him**.** "I'm here."  He said while staring at the surgeon. 

                                 ****************************************

Willow and Giles stood outside the room and watched Angel though the window. Spike leaned against the wall and lit a cigarette.

"I don't think you can do that in here." Willow told him.

"Sodding sue me." He replied with distress in his voice.

Angel walked out of Buffy's room, looked at them with tears in his eyes, and trailed down the hall. Willow followed him. Giles and Spike met glances. Spike dropped his cigarette on the sterile floor and mashed it with his boot. He gripped the lapels of his duster and readjusted it on him, took a couple of deep breaths, shook his head, and headed into the room. Giles bowed his head and stood with his back to the window.

When Spike entered the room he felt his heart swell. How could he be doing this? How could he have to say 'goodbye'? How is it after all the fights and apocalypses she had survived and saved everyone else from, how is it that she now lay helpless in a bed? He can't fight this demon for her. He can't sacrifice himself for her. He can't do anything he wants to do. He can only do the one thing he doesn't want to…

Say 'goodbye'.

He took yet another breath and started toward her bed. She turned her head slowly to meet his eyes. He melted at the sight of her. God, why couldn't he scoop her right out of this bed and make it all better? Why couldn't he take her place? Why couldn't he fix it?

"Spike" she said softly.

"Buffy" he replied.

He picked up her hand lightly, like a china doll, as if afraid of breaking her.

'Fragile', now there's a word he never thought he would use to describe her.

"Can I get you anything pet?" he asked in a somber voice.

"Don't leave me" she said with a tear in her eye.

This caused him to hold back a flood of tears.

"Never." He reassured her.

She pushed out a tiny smile.

He brushed the hair from her face and tilted his head a bit.

"Tell me what to do," she said quietly to him.

He couldn't hold the tears back anymore, one escaped down his face. He looked at her, so helpless.

"Rest Slayer, just rest…." He pushed the words though tears.

With that he kissed her forehead and his tears dripped onto her hair. He laid his cheek on her head and felt her take a final breath. He raised his head to look at her still body. He wanted to scream, he wanted to demand someone, something give her back to him now.  He looked down at her lifeless body. 

He dropped to his knees across her and started bawling.

Giles turned and looked though the window and saw Spike draped over Buffy. He knew it was over. He turned to look at Willow and Angel coming back down the hall. They froze when they saw his face. They knew.

It was over.

Her first tombstone read "She saved the world….a lot"

The second one read "Buffy Anne Summers"

                                  " Rest now Slayer"


End file.
